The subject matter disclosed herein relates to steering column mounted transmission shifters and, more particularly, to a mounting assembly for a vehicle shift mechanism, as well as a method of mounting the shift mechanism in a decoupled manner.
Internally collapsing steering column designs that are cantilever in nature generally have low stiffness and poor natural frequency. If the application requires a column mounted shift system, the location of the shifter poses challenges.
If the shifter is mounted forward in the vehicle on a stationary structure portion of the steering column, the shift lever requires a severe off-set and/or the shift mechanism is cantilevered rearward (towards the driver) which creates a moment and high stress on the attachment. Conversely, mounting the shifter rearward in the vehicle on the upper-head telescoping portion of the steering column creates additional requirements for collapse of the steering column, NVH and anti-rotation reaction loads from the shift lever.